Today we have an interview with Andrew Tullio who placed 3rd in the Open Level 2 Category in the latest Adonis Index Contest. Check out his pictures:

Make sure you set up good lighting and background when taking the after pictures.

Andrew had to re-think everything. He had to figure out a new way to eat and what would be the best time to have each meal.

He was always used to have big meals. He was never a fan of working on eating smaller portions. However, when you eat three times a day, it might not be a such a good habit to have, because it’s very easy to eat too much food. Most people can get away with eating one big meal, some can even get away with two big meals, but almost no one can eat three large meals every day, and still be lean.

And this need to figure out a new way of eating is not the first time we’ve heard about it. It’s actually a recurring theme.

It’s great if you have figured out how to lose fat and you’ve got lean. However, if you also want to STAY lean, you have to figure out a whole new way to eat to maintain your new body. If you start overeating or get back to your old eating habits you will start gaining fat quickly and you will erase all your progress in a matter of weeks.

There are three basic ways of eating:

1. The one that gets you overweight
2. The one that makes you lose fat
3. The one that you need to learn to keep your new lean body

Since the old habit Andrew had wouldn’t help him lose weight and keep it off, he had to do some thinking.

At this point he only knew how to eat to gain weight and how to eat to lose weight, but nothing in between.

He had to figure out how to eat in a balanced way so he would stay lean all year round.

He tried a few things that mostly revolved around having multiple meals and just counting the calories. However, like he told us, it was just too much counting and he couldn’t enjoy the big meals he loved.

Then, he figured it out.

What really worked for him was having one big meal at the end of the day.

This way he would stay in a deficit, because there is only so many calories you can eat at one sitting. and he didn’t have to count calories, so it was a win-win.

Now Andrew doesn’t have to count anything, he doesn’t worry about maintenance or gaining weight. It’s all taken care of with one meal a day.

He can still eat big with just a small compromise on his part.

But is it really that big of a compromise?

Sometimes he might allow himself a snack, but usually he just eats a big dinner. Snacks are good, if you can keep the calories in check (think of fruit as a perfect low cal, but tasty snack). The issue with snacks is that most people snack on high calorie options and they don’t stop at just one.

Another issue is that the moment you start eating, your appetite goes up and you will want to eat more. FYI this is one of the reasons why eating breakfast is NOT a good idea.

This is Andrew’s overall progress. The first pictures are from his first Adonis Index contest.

Why One Meal a Day Works and What It Can Do for You?

Assuming you already understand the benefits of intermittent fasting, eating one meal a day has a bit more to it as well.

• Not having to count calories
• You can have snacks if you limit the frequency and the amount
• You can enjoy the weekends a bit more
• You can eat “normally” at some unexpected social eating event, because you are in a slight deficit
• You can eat a really big meal every day!
• You can finally focus on something different than food during your day – that’s the productivity cure you were looking for the whole time
• You will have more energy during the day and you won’t feel tired as a result of eating every three hours

Andrew would have a big meal and small piece of chocolate with it almost every single day.

What other diet will allow you to have chocolate every day?

Not that many, right?

Obviously you have to choose the right foods, you can’t eat nothing but cake, but still it doesn’t have to be “clean” by the conventional fitness standards. You really can have chocolate or pizza if you want.

What you are basically doing is variety in one big chunk each day.

And how would such a meal look like?

You can be creative, but here is an example:

Salad + chicken + potatoes + slice of pizza + small piece of chocolate cake

Sounds good?

Well, you can easily make this under 2000 calories, which is perfect for most guys to maintain.

Just remember, you can have your cake, but everything is good only in moderation.

More tips from Andrew:

• Learn a way to eat everyday without gaining or going overboard
• You don’t have to count calories once you figure out a consistent pattern that works for you
• Judge your progress by the mirror and photos, are you getting soft? Not seeing obliques anymore? If so then you need to eat a bit less (or add more exercise/cardio)
• Myotape is also good for tracking progress and staying at maintenance
• When you get into a good eating pattern, stay there don’t mess with it
• At that point you will intuitively know when you go overboard
• If you get on the scale too often, weight fluctuations due to water fluctuations will start messing with your head
• Multiple ways to do it, find the way that works for you
• Stick to one workout plan
• Your workout plan should mix things up every once in a while to keep your mind in it and your muscles growing
• The goal is not having to think about your body, fitness, diet, training, just doing a little work here and there and still looking awesome
• Re-think and question everything

Links from the interview:

• Adonis Index 3.0 – The workout program responsible for one of the most impressive transformations online
• Adonis Index IXP – Advanced muscle building protocol
• Eat Stop Eat – Lifestyle base around the beauty of intermittent fasting

Read Andrew’s experience with Adonis Index in his own words:

This is the third Adonis contest I took part in, AT3, AT4, and now AT7… The first few contests I spent a tremendous amount of energy focusing on my caloric intake and trying to lose weight and then trying to figure out how to eat for my new leaner physique. Sometime during my prep for AT4 I realized that having one big meal over three smaller meals was a a lot easier and definitely helped me to maintain a level of leanness, unfortunately I would usually find myself overeating during the weekends and to compensate I end up regularly fasting for… Continue reading here

Listen to the interview here, and please “like” it when you’re done:

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Today we have an interview with Todd Burgette who placed 4th in the latest Adonis Index Transformation Contest.

Check out his pictures:

Stop making excuses an get on the path to building a better body today.

Todd is 6 foot tall and was 240 pounds. He lost 60 pounds over the course of 14 weeks. That’s a pretty big accomplishment.

Before training with Adonis Index he was going to the gym regularly, he just lacked any structured workout program. However, the bigger issue was his diet. Or more specifically his binge eating.

As a consultant he had an expense account and was supposed to go out with clients and make them comfortable – recipe for disaster. And of course things got out of control pretty quickly. He was overeating and binging and this combination is what got him to 240 pounds, sounds familiar?

He never had an easy time losing weight, and always envied those people could keep the weight off.

Eat Anything You Want…Wait…What?!?

Todd has been an Adonis Index Member for a while, but when he tried the Anything Goes Diet protocol he started seeing diet and nutrition in a totally different way.

This is what he learned from it:

• How to manage his weekly calories budget and stopped thinking on a daily basis
• He could use his personality to succeed rather than to keep struggling
• Each week he felt like he was moving forward and was achieving his goals
• It allowed him to take the pressure off of the diet and enjoy the process
• It’s not about “winning” the day, but rather “winning” the week
• With his weekly plan he aimed ahead and saved calories for the weekend (yes you can enjoy social eating events!)
• He can have anything he wants, but it can’t exceed his calorie budget for the week

Calories are exactly like finances.

To acquire wealth you need to spend less than you earn and invest the difference. So in order to lose weight and get a six pack, you need to eat less than you burn, so your body will have to tap into its fat storage. You can look at it as an future investment for a better looking and healthier body.

Here is the harsh truth. If you get in debt, you have to pay it off some day including the interest rate.

…And the longer you wait the worse it gets.

So, when you are dieting you have to realize that the uncomfortable feeling is just a feeling of burning the Sunday pancakes you had for your breakfast 20 years ago.

Nothing gets lost in your body, it’s either used or stored. It just can’t disappear.

And if you don’t lose it, it will stay there wrapped around your body as fat…FOREVER.

What you are doing with dieting is basically paying that fun-eating-debt off. If you never allowed yourself to gain weight, then you don’t have to go through it, but if you did, there is no other option.

Well, at least if you want to look good.

Shield Yourself from the BS Information Out There

There is a lot of information nowadays. And a lot of crap too.

It’s more important than ever to find the truth, what works, quality advice and shield yourself from everything else. People that try to “consume” all of the information there is and not act up on that look the same month after month, year after year.

You need to differentiate what information is true and what impact it will have on your life.

What is the key factor in your diet and training?

Will antioxidants help you lose weight? Or rather will it be your ability to maintain a caloric deficit over a couple of months? What do you think?

And what about the training? Are you making sure you drink your protein exactly 5 minutes after your training (because some trainer said so) and that you always squat with your squatting shoes? OR are making sure you have the best training routine you can get and you are following it 100%?

Find the key factors that will give you the maximum benefit. Most people focus on the new flashy, fancy things that are trendy and sexy, but not so much on what really works.

Here is something to think about – if we were to shoot a movie about someone getting in shape, building muscles and losing weight, it would be the worst, most boring and painfully frustrating movie ever made.

…Oh and it would be freakishly long too!

There is no sexy answer to fat loss or quick magic pill for muscle building.

The stuff that works is simple – follow a good workout plan, train more and eat a balanced diet with less calories.

Plain and simple.

Take home message from Todd:

1. Diet Tips

• Be proactive, think in advance, plan, save calories, so you can enjoy social eating events over the weekends
• If you are struggling with a eating disorder, take it slowly, small steps moving forward every day/week/month
• Figure out when it’s easier for you to fast
• Don’t eat too often, taking breaks will give you more control
• Try avoiding snacking
• Eating breakfast will most likely make you overeat, try to put the first meal off as late as you can
• If you are a boredom eater, you need to plan to be social
• If you eat less, you will save time

2. Training Tips

• Have a well-structured workout plan
• Have a workout plan written months ahead
• Keep a workout log/diary that will help you track your progress

3. Mindset Shifts

• You’ve got to identify the key drivers of your success and work on them
• It’s all in your head, your body can do it, but you have to believe it’s possible
• Clear your mind before your workout
• Work on your key habits and issues every day
• Find someone who has done what you want, seeing it will give you the confidence to do it
• Reward yourself with vacation and clothes
• Be covert, you don’t have to tell anyone what you are doing

Links form Todd’s interview:

• Anything Goes Diet – No BS Diet Book that lets you in on how fat loss really happens (Hint: It’s different than what you hear from media)
• Eat Stop Eat – Lifestyle approach to get lean and stay lean all year round, by Brad Pilon
• Adonis Index Workout – The Main workout program, also responsible for one of the most amazing transformations online
• Adonis Index Community – The friendliest and most supportive community in the fitness world. UPDATE: Free access when you buy any Adonis Index program here

Read Todd’s experience in his own words:

Participating in AT7 has literally changed my life. Overeating has been a life-long affliction for me, and in the beginning of AT7 I didn’t really believe I would ever be able to escape my bondage to food. I was, however, willing to keep working and trying to find a solution that would work for me. I have successfully overcome this barrier, my confidence in all areas of my life has increased, and I’ve learned the skills necessary to make this change permanent in my life.

Throughout AT7 I focused on…

Click here to read the rest

Listen to the interview here:

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Today we have an interview with Robert Robinson who placed 4th in the Transformation category in the latest Adonis Index Contest.

Check out his pictures:

Chances are that you too are just a couple of pounds away from being ripped!

You would say that a 30 year old guy who works in a lab and is getting a job as a teacher AND planning for his wedding in his spare time will be pretty busy (and maybe too busy) with his life to be concern with getting in shape or even entering a fitness contest.

As impossible as it sounds Rob proved to us again that it can be done, no matter how busy you are and how stressful your life is.

Rob told us that contrary to what we would guess, a busy life provides structure and it’s actually easier to get things done when you have very little free time. You may have noticed this yourself, that on some days when you have a lot of work, and need to get your workout done, you are really productive, because you have so much planned out, you have to keep going until it’s all finished, no laziness or looking for ways to kill time – productivity only.

Most people would consider being ‘busy’ as an excuse and would complain about how they have no time to go to the gym or eat properly. Not Rob, he saw an opportunity in this (that’s the spirit!).

Before we dig into his approach, let’s look at his diet and training history (expect some interesting stuff).

Everyone Expected Rob to Be Big for the Rest of His Life

Believe it or not, but at one point Rob was 300 pounds!

He was big, but like he said he wasn’t big like bodybuilders, he was big and overweight.

Back then he didn’t think about the look of his body and since it didn’t affect his work, he didn’t concern himself with it.

He loved Arnold’s movies, so he thought being big is a good thing.

It was also sort of expected from his family.

Rob’s transformation over the years, he lost an impressive 140 pounds! (The last two pictures are his transformation with the Adonis Index)

Then he had a moment when he visited a friend of his who had Arnold’s encyclopedia of bodybuilding. After reading it and going through the pictures he realized that he doesn’t look the way he wants or should and he needs to change.

Using some diet approaches he found on the internet he got down to 216 (from 300) and basically lost 80 pounds in six months (pretty impressive).

And then he stalled at that point for a while.

After some time he got even further down to 180 pounds, but he wasn’t sure what was causing the results. Which is pretty interesting, because even though he managed to lose that much weight he was still afraid of gaining the weight back…this is because everyone who lost weight he knew always gained it back.

At first he thought that just because he was eating a diet low in carbohydrates he was losing fat. Later  after finding Adonis Index he realized that what really caused his massive weight loss was a reduction in calories, combined with a drastic increase in activity, and most importantly – consistency in these two areas over time.

He lowered calories somewhat unintentionally since he though that carbs are the bad guy or he would do hours of activities and not realize hoe many calories it was burning.

Being Big vs. Being Ripped

Rob was glad he lost all that weight, however like he said he was skinny-fat, he had (in his words) “no muscles at all” at that point.

At the beach when he would take off his shirt, he would just be smooth with no muscle definition.

He was low in bodyweight, but not satisfied with his physique, he simply didn’t look the why he envisioned for himself.

This is further proof that there is a huge disconnect from how you look and what the scale says.

People don’t understand this concept and get scared as soon as the scale number gets low (in their opinion).

The truth was that Rob never focused on developing any muscle mass, so it doesn’t come as such a surprise when you think about it.

We are so culturally focused on the number on the scale, but completely ignore the “quality” or the “whole picture” that makes up the look and health of our body.

Then at the end of 2010 Rob found Eat Stop Eat and Adonis Index.

He started listening to the podcasts, got the workouts and followed them as written.

Was it enough or did it work?

Well, scroll up and take one more look at the pictures.

Here are some tips from Rob you can incorporate into your approach:

• Don’t get caught up in day-to-day look
• It’s a process and the transformation is both physical and mental
• Enter the contest!
• You will not get abs in 8 days as you see in the ads, it will take more time, but it will happen
• What’s a couple of month or years of dedication compared to living the rest of your life as a happy and healthy person?
• Don’t get pressured into being ‘big’
• Realize that for most guys it’s not realistic to be 200 pounds and ripped (look at all the Adonis Index contest winners, NONE of them are over 200lbs)
• Stop looking at the scale and start looking in a mirror and best of all – take pictures
• There is no reason to do more work for the same results, be smart about your approach
• The podcasts are huge, listen to all of them
• Macros don’t matter, calories are responsible for weight loss or weight gain
• Eat the food you like, just eat less of it
• Don’t eat breakfast if you don’t want to
• You don’t need to live the bodybuilder lifestyle to have a great physique

Useful links from Rob’s interview:

• Adonis Index Main Workouts – The Main workout program, also responsible for one of the most amazing transformations online
• Adonis Index Community – The friendliest and most supportive community in the fitness world. UPDATE: Free access when you buy any Adonis Index program here
• Eat Stop Eat –  Lifestyle approach to get lean and stay lean all year round, by Brad Pilon
• Anything Goes Diet – No BS Diet Book that lets you in on how fat loss really happens (Hint: It’s different than what you hear from media)

Read Rob’s experience with Adonis Index in his own words:

The result was an undeniable success, to me. Adonis not only helped me to get lean so that I discovered the great physique I had, but Adonis also helped me to do that while planning and organizing my upcoming wedding, moving into a new career field, and maintaining my normal social life. How can…

Read the whole story here

Listen to the interview here:

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